PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION ADOPTS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR GUINEA-BISSAU, PAVING WAY FOR GENERATING WEALTH, REFORMING SECURITY SECTOR, STRENGTHENING LAW ENFORCEMENT

Peacebuilding Commission

Guinea-Bissau configuration

1^st Meeting (AM)

PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION ADOPTS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR GUINEA-BISSAU, PAVING WAY

FOR GENERATING WEALTH, REFORMING SECURITY SECTOR, STRENGTHENING LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Peacebuilding Commission today adopted its strategic framework for peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau, outlining waysto strengthen law enforcement, reform the security sector, generate wealth and modernize the system of public administration of that western African nation ‑‑ which was developed over a period of 10 months by the Commission, the Government and development partners.

Addressing the Commission on behalf of Guinea-Bissauwas Marciano Barbeiro, Minister of Defence, who participated via video-link from Bissau alongside Artur Silva, Secretary of State for Cooperation and a representative of the Ministry of Finance.  Also present in Bissau were Giuseppina Mazza, United Nations Resident Coordinator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and two representatives of the European Union-Security Sector Reform Mission in Guinea-Bissau.

Mr. Barbeiro reported that assistance from the United Nations was “on its way to being consolidated”, and that several quick-impact projects were already receiving funding.  But even as he welcomed those advances, the Minister made a special appeal for assistance in support of Guinea-Bissau’s upcoming elections, scheduled for 16 November.  According to a draft copy of the strategic framework, Guinea-Bissau’s electoral budget had a gap of $9 million.

Shola Omoregie, Representative of the Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau, who was also present at the meeting, said projects to support the electoral process had begun in July, and were focusing on voter registration and voter education campaigns.  In addition, $6 million had been allocated by the United Nations Secretary-General in March towards quick-impact projects, such as youth employment and the rehabilitation of prisons and military barracks.

Mr. Omoregie, who headed the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS), described the strategic framework as a guide to investment and a tool for coordinating assistance in line with the country’s priorities.  The Government had launched a programme last year to restore fiscal responsibility, which needed reinforcing.  In the course of the meeting, it had emerged that Guinea-Bissau carried a foreign debt of three times its gross domestic product (GDP).

Also of importance was security sector reform, said Mr. Omoregie, noting that the Government had launched a security sector reform programme earlier this year.  According to the draft strategic framework, reform of the security and defence sector was “widely recognized” as vital for political stability and economic recovery.

Confirming that view, Mr. Barbeiro said Guinea-Bissau’s political situation had begun to deteriorate in 1998, owing to armed conflict, and that was having long-lasting negative effects.  Overcoming those problems required partnership with other countries and international organizations.  His Government had already informed its partners of plans to implement armed forces reforms, once contributions from those partners were provided.

Throughout the meeting, several Commission members highlighted the importance of security sector reform in combating drug trafficking, since such reform encompassed the police and justice and defence sectors.  A representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the issue would be discussed at an upcoming ministerial conference on Narcotic Trafficking and Organized Crime in Western Africa, organized by UNODC, together with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office for West Africa.

Commission members also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the November elections are carried out peacefully and transparently.  Towards that goal, Mexico’s representative said his country would provide experts from its electoral federal commission to assist.  He voiced hope that such an offer would be the first step towards longer-term cooperation to help increase Guinea-Bissau’s capacity in a number of other areas, specifically:  security sector reform, war on drugs, social integration and anti-poverty programmes.  On the same topic, the representative of Spain said his country had approved voluntary contributions of €500 million to help finance the electoral process and to strengthen the country’s electoral machinery in general.

At the same time, Jamaica’s delegate stressed that the development dimensions of peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau deserved equal attention since progress would be impossible without sustainable development.  Lending support to that view was the representative of France on behalf of the European Union, who noted that the western African nation was struggling with a cholera epidemic, rising food prices and persistent political tensions.

The representatives of the European Community and World Bank voiced their support for the strategic framework, with the World Bank representative saying that $5 million had been approved for a project to help Guinea-Bissau tackle rising food prices.  The project would be implemented by the World Food Programme and the country’s Ministry of Agriculture.

Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil, Chair of the Guinea-Bissau country configuration, said the Commission was creating a monitoring and tracking mechanism for the framework, to be finalized in October.  In addition, the Security Council was expected to hold consultations on Guinea-Bissau later in the week, during which she planned to transmit the recommendations and conclusions emanating from a visit to the country in January.

Alfredo Lopes Cabral, the Permanent Representative of Guinea-Bissau to the United Nations, commended Ms. Viotti and Mr. Omoregie for their dedication to the cause, and praised the spirit of “shared responsibility” that underlay creation of the strategic framework.  It was his hope that the international community would act speedily to honour its commitments.

Others speakers included representatives of Portugal, Cape Verde, Guinea, Germany, Angola, Japan, Luxembourg, Canada, Egypt, El Salvador, Burkina Faso, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Ghana, Chile, Benin, Senegal, Burundi, Nigeria and Niger, most of whom commended the Government’s efforts to date.

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For information media • not an official record